For the third straight spring with Mike Babcock making $6.25 million a season to coach them, the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost in the first round of the National Hockey League playoffs.

With
four years still left on his contract, firing Babcock would cost the
ownership of the Maple Leafs several million dollars, as per the
mathematics of the deal.

As
general manager of the Maple Leafs, the perception is that 33-year old
general manager Kyle Dubas is the one who will make the call — with the
blessing of team president Brendan Shanahan — as to whether Babcock
should be retained or be fired.

For
starters, it should be noted that it was Shanahan who hired Babcock
well before Dubas became the GM of the Maple Leafs. In other words,
Babcock is not Dubas’s “guy.”

And
even if Dubas did hire Babcock, the underwhelming performance of the
Maple Leafs during the past three playoff seasons might be cause for the
Sault Ste. Marie native to be seriously pondering a coaching change.

There are those who might wonder if a relative neophyte like Dubas would have the strength, resolve and culjones to fire a grizzled NHL coaching veteran that Babcock is.

Well,
those who know Dubas from his time as a 26-year old general manager
with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League certainly know that
he has confidence in himself and what he believes in and is not afraid
to go against the grain.

When
Dubas first interviewed for the Greyhound GM job as a mere pup, he so
wowed ownership with his preparation and detailed plans that he was
given the job over candidates with much more experience.

When
his first coaching hire with the Greyhounds did not pan out, Dubas went
out and hired hockey bad boy Sheldon Keefe to coach the Soo. And it did
not take long for Keefe to become an outstanding OHL head coach for the
Greyhounds — and since carry on his winning ways with the Toronto
Marlies of the American Hockey League, who just happen to be the no. 1
farm club of the NHL Maple Leafs.

It
seems rather safe to say that if Babcock’s future with the Maple Leafs
is Dubas’s decision to make, then the boy wonder from the Soo will do
what he thinks is right — either way — and not be swayed by the forum
of public opinion.

Personally,
I am not a Maple Leafs fan. (Someone who grew up cheering for the
Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings really can’t be a Maple Leafs
fan.)

But I have grown to become a Dubas fan.

I
thought he was too inexperienced — his age didn’t bother me — when he
was first hired as GM of the Greyhounds. But he quickly showed me —
and others — how his vision for the game, which included detailed
analytics, put him ahead of his time in how hockey is now managed,
coached and played.

At
any rate, having said that I am not a Maple Leafs — they were my
least-favourite NHL team while growing up during the days of the
Original Six — I would like to see Toronto have some NHL success, if
only because of a guy like Dubas.

As for who will or won’t be coaching the Maple Leafs next season, there is a belief that Dubas will make the right decision — firmly and with a lot of thought.

What you think about “No doubt about Kyle Dubas”

Everything above is right on the money Randy. The Leafs are in good hands with Kyle Dubas. The only disturbing piece of news in your article is that you still are not a Leafs fan. I and others will have to work on that.

As a Leafs fan, I’m honestly fine with Dubas. He knows what the team needs. He tried to acquire a piece in fellow former Soo Greyhound Jake Muzzin…and still knows the hole on this team is defence.

With Gardiner and Hainsey expiring, hopefully that will mean he’ll go out and shape Toronto’s top 4 better, with Dermott and Sandin sitting as the bottom pair. Leafs need a RHD or LHD to pair with Rielly that is bigger and can defend (preferably someone with many games of playoff experience), and they need a RHD that is quick and can move the puck to pair with Muzz. I’m hoping this will be a big offseason for Doob and won’t get too many gray hairs over it.